The present invention relates to a food preparation device for preparing foods such as vegetables and cheeses in various forms.
Food preparation devices having handles, which serve to prepare foods in various forms include, for example, graters, slicers and shredders. There are also many food preparation devices with which various types of food preparation can be performed with one device, by way of detachably attaching replaceable blade plates bearing food preparation blades. One example of such replaceable blade type food preparation devices is configured so that the blade plate itself, in the form of a food preparation plate on which food preparation blades are directly formed, can be replaced, as is described in Patent Document 1. If the blade plate is a metal plate, the food preparation blades are formed as part of this metal plate, and if the blade plate is made of plastic, the food preparation blades are formed united with this plastic plate, and these blade plates, which are food preparation plates, are replaceable. Furthermore, another example of a replaceable blade type food preparation device is configured such that a blade plate bearing food preparation blades is assembled into a food preparation plate by way of fixing this in a frame member made of plastic or the like, and replacing the blade plate by way of detachably attaching this food preparation plate on the food preparation device.
With a replaceable blade type food preparation device, when the food preparation plate is replaced, the food preparation plate that has been mounted is first removed from the main body of the food preparation device by hand, and next, another food preparation plate is attached to the main body of the food preparation device by hand. Here, because the food preparation blades on the food preparation plate are exposed, if, for example, the work is difficult or the operator's hands are wet, there is a risk of injury on the food preparation blades.
Notably, in order to improve the efficiency of the grating work, graters have conventionally been such that food preparation blades are provided over substantially the entire food preparation surface, on which the food is placed and moved. Accordingly, if a replaceable blade system is used for a grater of this sort, the food preparation plate occupies the majority of the area other than the handle in the food preparation device, and a multiplicity of food preparation blades are provided over substantially the entire surface of the food preparation plate. Thus, the food preparation blades are exposed over a wide area, which is dangerous in so much as fingers or the like can easily come into contact with the food preparation blades when the food preparation plate is replaced.
The food preparation device described in Patent Document 3 is configured in such a way that a food preparation plate engages in a guide groove that is provided on the main body of the food preparation device, and the food preparation plate can be detachably replaced by sliding the food preparation plate in a direction that horizontally traverses the main body of the food preparation device. With a food preparation device having sliding system of this sort, the food preparation plate can be replaced relatively safely. But this is limited to food preparation devices having relatively small food preparation plates. Food preparation plates for graters that serve to grate large Japanese radish and the like must have a food preparation plate that is at least approximately 10 cm long and approximately 5 cm wide. If a sliding system is used for mounting and removal of the food preparation plate in a food preparation device having a food preparation plate of such a large size, it is not possible to rapidly mount the food preparation plate on the main body of the food preparation device. That is to say, when the food preparation plate is mounted on the main body of the food preparation device, the food preparation plate is disposed at the food preparation plate insertion opening in the food preparation device main body, in line with the slide direction thereof and, while maintaining this aligned state, the food preparation plate is inserted into the insertion opening. But because the food preparation plate is large, the work is difficult, and thus the food preparation plate cannot be mounted rapidly. This is because, when inserted, the food preparation plate that is held in a hand will tend to shake and therefore the work of fitting the food preparation plate into the food preparation plate insertion opening will take time. Furthermore, if the food preparation plate is large, the length over which this must slide is great, making it difficult to smoothly move the food preparation plate in translation, which prevents the food preparation plate from sliding smoothly, and thus the food preparation plate cannot be mounted rapidly.